Lifestyle choices influence your wellbeing

By Barbra Swanson :
August 11, 2011

Many people in our culture do not know how much their choices can, and do, influence their health for better or worse.

“Back in the old days,” I used to believe that sickness was inevitable – that I would sail along in life, get old and get sick and that was that. My doctor and health care team would fix any and everything up to that point. I would get a pill and get better until the next challenge came along.

I am here to help you understand how completely erroneous that concept is.

We now know that many of the diseases and ailments that we incur are not “caught,” they are “taught.” We are now beginning to understand that diabetes, cancer and heart disease are not necessarily diseases of aging; they can be diseases of poor lifestyle choices.

I hear clients say all the time that “my mother or grandmother had cancer, so I'll probably get it.” That is simply not true. Even if there is cancer, diabetes or heart disease in your family tree, you can proactively make lifestyle changes to prevent these diseases.

According to a report by the American Institute for Cancer Research, we can prevent almost half of the colon cancer cases in this country. All that is necessary is to make simple changes to our lifestyle. These simple changes include:

Staying physically active by “playing” at what you like 30 to 60 minutes every day;

Maintaining a healthy weight.

Plus, researchers also found a clear and consistent connection between the kind of meat you eat and colon cancer. They cited 24 studies linking colon cancer to processed meat.

Researchers found that eating just 3.5 ounces per day of processed meat (the size of a computer mouse) increases your colon cancer risk by 36 percent. Plus, if you eat 7 ounces every day, your colon cancer risk is about 70 percent greater than those who don't eat processed meat.

Avoiding sugary sodas can slash your risk of diabetes. Sodas used to be “treats.” Now, folks drink them all day, every day. Each can of soda contains about 12 teaspoons of sugar, stressing the body and upsetting the blood sugar levels, which can lead to disease.

Fast foods such as burgers, fries, fried chicken and other fried foods are causing heart disease and cancer incidence to sky rocket. I see younger and younger people coming in to the cancer center every day.

You don't have to eat fast food. You can make a peanut butter sandwich on whole-wheat bread and open a can of vegetable soup and eat healthier than running through a fast food restaurant. These fast foods can be eaten as treats, but everyday use is damaging your health.

My happy job is to help inform you in these articles about the very real dangers of poor food choices and poor eating habits while at the same time giving you easy and quick ideas to support your fabulous body's in-born ability to stay healthy.

One bite at a time, one small change at a time, will yield long-lasting results – for life!